“Girdling the globe”

What my niece Jasmine Hakim Marshall expressed in her letter "Girdling the globe” (Readers’ Forum, Parsiana, July 7, 2008) is exactly what I would have written, though I might have added some colorful words as well. However, everyone has their own opinion, so we should respect it and let it go. I really don’t care what other people’s opinion is about my father’s book, With Cyclists Around the World, because now so many additional persons will get a chance to read it, talk about it, discuss it and enjoy it.

I first read my father’s original book some 30 years ago and was so proud of him and his achievement. I still have the same feelings after rereading the book. Can you imagine lying in the desert waiting to die only to be rescued by French legionnaires, being nursed back to life and then continuing on a journey around the world on bicycles? That calls for determination, strength and trust in oneself, friends and in the Almighty.

I love the book and many, many thanks are due to my brother Dara Hakim and sister-in-law Roda for persevering and getting it reprinted.

EDDIE HAKIM

mrcreno@aol.com

From Dorabji Nanabhoy, the first Parsi to arrive in Bombay in 1640, to "aapro Ratan” who has made a one lakh rupee car a reality, it is apparent that the community continuously strives for endurance despite hardships. Any criticism of the publishers, writers or any person involved in reprinting With Cyclists Around the World is an insult not only to the Parsi community but to humanity as a whole. Do we need to criticize every little thing our Parsi fellowmen do?

I could say with resonating conviction that this book has been a great success in inspiring youngsters in Ahmedabad, enabling them to undertake adventures of their own and bringing out the best in them. I am sure it has also inspired many in other places and will continue to do so in future. I salute Dara and Roda Hakim whose untiring efforts for years together made this mission possible.

Criticism such as Firdaus Gandavia’s not only hurts the sentiments of the families associated with great personalities, but serves to make promising youth more confused.

YASHAN JOKHI

Dubai

yashan@allmetalsgroup.com

Let me first of all apologize for the distress I have caused Jasmine Hakim Marshall and the members of her family for my review of With Cyclists Around the World ("Girdling the globe,” Books, Parsiana, May 7, 2008). I would like to place on record that it was not my intention either to insult the memory of her family members or to belittle their achievement. The review was a personal reaction to the account as a literary work and there was no intention of forcing my opinion on others.

As I mentioned in my review the achievement of the cyclists was remarkable indeed and to circumnavigate the world in the 1920s was no small feat. The hardships that they underwent and the difficulties they encountered cannot be underrated and it was not the intention of the reviewer to underestimate either their achievement or their arduous journey.

I think with the general irritation I have caused by the few adverse comments, all my praise for the book has been overlooked. I personally found those parts of the book very exciting and illuminating where the authors have included descriptions of the people they met and their personal reactions to the places they visited. I only felt if these were given more prominence than the mere factual descriptions of the monuments which could have been derived from any guide book the result would have been more interesting.

Yes, I am aware that the book was written in 1923 and that styles have changed over the last 80 years. But even the 1920s and 1930s’ style was more informal than the tone of the book. I am not suggesting that they should have imitated the British writers but I am convinced that a little more care with the editing, especially at this point of time when the book was being reissued, would have made the account even more readable!

And yes, I did "really” read the book, else I don’t think I would have been able to list a few of the many typographical errors I noticed.

FIRDAUS GANDAVIA

fgandavia@tata.com